Catheter placement unit

ABSTRACT

A catheter placement unit comprising means for maintaining a catheter in alignment with the bore of a stylet needle and support means extendable through the bore of said catheter and advanceable with said catheter through said needle to prevent misalignment of said catheter with said needle during placement.

O United States Patent 1 [111 3,792,703

Moorehead Feb. 19, 1974 [54] CATHETER PLACEMENT UNIT 3,565,074 2/1971Foti 128/2l4.4

3,370,587 2/1968 Vizcarra 128/214.4 [75] Inventor: Harvey Robe" Momehead3,323,523 6/1967 Scislowicz et a1 1223/2144 Lake City, Utah [73]Assignee: Deseret Pharmaceutical Co. Inc., FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONS Sandy, Utah 265,972 10/1913 Germany 128/214.4

[22] Filed: July 1972 Primary ExaminerDalt0n L. Truluck [21] Appl. N0.:270,342 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Lynn G. Foster [52] US. Cl. 128/2l4.4,128/DIG. 16 [57] ABSTRACT [51] Int. Cl. A61m 5/00 A catheter placementunit comprising means for majm [58] Field 01 Search 128/214.4, 221, 348,DIG. 16

taming a catheter in alignment W11111 the bore of a stylet needle andsupport means extendable through the [56] References Cited bore of saidcatheter and advanceable with said cathe- UNITED STATES PATENTS terthrough said needle to prevent misalignment of 3,727,613 4/1973 Sorensonet a1. 128/214.4 aid catheter with said needle during placement,3,297,030 1/1967 Czorny et a1. l28/214.4 3,438,373 4/1969 Pannier128/214.4 4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures lizy l l PAIENIEQ FEB I 91974 mmmm MOE v ow CATHETER PLACEMENT UNIT BACKGROUND FIELD OF INVENTION Thisinvention relates to catheters and particularly to catheter placementunits of the type wherein the catheter is inserted telescopically withina hollow needle for placement.

Prior Art In the medical arts, it is frequently necessary or desirableto place a catheter within a patients vein in order to permit infusionof fluids, such as plasma, whole blood, saline solution, and the like,into the patients circulatory system. To accomplish such placement, itis frequently desirable to perform a venipuncture by means of a styletneedle and to pass the catheter through the bore of the needle to thedesired location within the vein. Unfortunately, in order to properlyposition the catheter within the vein, it is sometimes necessary toreverse or partially withdraw the catheter. When this has occurred withthe placement units of the prior art, the catheter has occasionallybecome misaligned with the bore of the needle and, upon reversal, hasbeen drawn against the edge of the needle with the result that the outersurface of the catheter becomes burred and tends to irritate the wall ofthe vein. In extreme instances, portions of the catheter may actually besheared off and carried away by the blood flow. Obviously, thiscondition can have serious, or even fatal consequences.

BRIEF SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION These disadvantages of theprior art are overcome with the present invention and a novel catheterplacement unit is provided which assures proper alignment of thecatheter with the bore of the needle during both forward and reversemovement and, thereby, minimizes the likelihood of burring or shearingof the catheter.

The advantages of the present invention are preferably attained byproviding a catheter placement unit comprising a stylet needle having abore dimensioned to permit passage therethrough of a catheter, adaptermeans secured to the proximal end of the needle and connectable to thecatheter to maintain the catheter in alignment with the bore of theneedle, and a rigid tube extending through the bore of the catheter andad vanceable with the catheter to project beyond the distal and of theneedle.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide animproved catheter placement unit.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a catheterplacement unit including means for preventing burring or shearing of thecatheter during reverse movement in the course of placement.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a catheterplacement unit including means for assuring alignment of the catheterwith the bore of the needle.

A specific object of the present invention is to provide a catheterplacement unit comprising a stylet needle having a bore adapted topermit passage therethrough of a catheter, adapter means secured to theproximal end of the needle and connectable to the catheter to maintainthe catheter in alignment with the bore of the'needle, and a rigid tubeextending through the bore of the catheter and advanceable with thecatheter to project beyond the distal end of the needle.

These and other objects and features of the present invention will beapparent from the following detailed description, taken with referenceto the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a longitudinal sectionthrough a catheter placement unit embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a transverse section taken, on the line 2--2 of FIG. I; and

FIG. 3 is a view, similar to that of FIG. 1, showing the placement unitof FIG. I with the parts in the extended position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS In that form of thepresent invention chosen for purposes for illustration, FIGS. 1-3 show acatheter placement unit, indicated generally at 2, comprising styletneedle 4 formed with a bore 6 extending axially therethrough and havinga beveled point 8 at the distal end thereof. The proximal end 10 of theneedle 4 is permanently secured, as by welding, to a hub I2 having afoward projection I4 exteriorly dimensioned to mate with the interior ofa suitable needle sheath, not shown, and formed with a bore 16 extendingaxially through the hub 12. An annular sleeve I8 circumscribes the hubI2 and extends a short distance rearwardly therefrom. The sleeve I8 isformed with a radially projecting flange 20 and the distal end 22 of arigid connecting rod 24 is permanently secured, as by epoxy, to thesleeve I8 in abutting relation with flange 20. The proximal end 26 ofconnecting rod 24 is received in and permanently secured to a boss 28which projects from the front of a cylindrical housing 30. The housing30 is formed with an axial bore 32 provided with annular ridges 34 and36 extending circumferentially thereabout. As shown, ridge 36circumscribes the proximal end of bore 32, while ridge 34 is locatedforwardly of ridge 36 about two-thirds of the length of housing 30 atits proximal end, housing 30 is provided with a pair of opposed,outwardly projecting flanges 37. At the distal end, housing 30 isprovided with a plurality of radially inwardly projecting tabs 38 whichextend nearly into engagement with catheter 40. As seen in FIG. I, thecatheter 40 comprises a hollow tube 42 having its distal end 44 situatedin the bore 6 of needle 4 and having a connector 46 secured to theproximal end of the tube 42. Connector 46 is formed with a recess 48which communicates with the bore 50 of catheter tube 42 and serves tocouple the catheter 40 to a suitable fluid infusion unit, not shown. Ifdesired, connector 46 may also be provided with outwardly projectingLuer tabs. A steel tube 52 extends substantially completely through bore50 of catheter tube 42 and has its distal end 54 located adjacent thedistal end 44 of catheter tube 42. The proximal end of tube 52 ispermanently secured in the axial bore 56 of a plunger 58 having a maleprojection 60 which encircles the tube 52 and is formed. to mate withrecess 48 of the connector 46 of catheter 40. The plunger 58 is alsoprovided with a radially projecting flange 62 having a diametersubstantially equal to that of bore 32 of housing 30, such that theflange 62 is freely slideable within bore 32, but frictionally engagesridges 34 and 36. In addition, the plunger 58 has a rearwardly projecting annular portion 64 which encircles and extends rearwardly beyondthe proximal end of the tube 52. The interior of the annular portion 64forms a chamber 66 which communicates with the exterior at the proximalend thereof and which is dimensioned to mate with the male connector ofa fluid infusion unit, not shown. The exterior of the proximal end ofthe annular portion 66 is provided with Luer dogs 68 and a suitable flowcontrol plug 70 is provided to frictionally close the proximal end ofthe annular portion 66. Finally, a transparent flexible sleeve 72 hasone end thereof secured to sleeve 18 in circumscribing relationtherewith, while the other end of sleeve 72 telescopically receives thedistal end of housing 30.

In use, the connector 46 of catheter 40 is attached to the maleprojection 60 of plunger 58 and plunger 58 is placed in its retractedposition, as seen in FIG. 1. The distal end 44 of the catheter 40 is fedthrough bore 16 in the needle hub 12 and into bore 6 of needle 4. Thetube 52 is then inserted, as described above, and the free end of thetransparent sleeve 72 is slid onto the housing 30 and releasably securedthereto. It will be seen that, as thus assembled, hub 12, connecting rod24, housing 30 and tube 52 cooperate to maintain the catheter 40 inalignment with the bore 6 of needle 4. When the catheter 40 is to beplaced, a venipuncture is performed, in the usual manner. Thereafter,the doctor grips plunger 58 and flanges 37 and urges plunger 58 forward,advancing plunger 58, tube 52, and catheter 40, until flange 62 ofplunger 58 engages ridge 34 in bore 32 of housing 30, as seen in FIG. 2.As shown, this advancement causes the distal ends of tube 50 andcatheter 44 to project beyond the leading end 8 of needle 4 and advancesconnector 46 of catheter 40 to a position where it may be convenientlygripped. The end of sleeve 72 is then removed from about the housing 30and the connector 46 is detached from male projection 60 of plunger 58.The catheter 40 is then slid along tube 52 for placement. It will beseen that during the advancement of catheter 40 and tube 52, and duringsubsequent movement of the catheter 40 along tube 52 for placement, thetube 52 assures that the catheter 40 is properly aligned with the bore 6of needle 4 and that the catheter 40 does not become undulated or kinkedin passing through bore 6 of needle 4. Moreover, during movement ofcatheter 40 along tube 52 for placement, if reverse movement of thecatheter 40 is necessary, tube 52 assures that the catheter 40 isproperly aligned with bore 6 of the needle 4, since tube 52 projectsbeyond the end of needle 4, and, thus, prevents burring or shearing ofthe catheter 44. Once the catheter 40 is placed, the tube 52 may bewithdrawn.

Obviously, numerous variations and modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the present invention. Accordingly, it should be clearlyunderstood that the form of the present invention described above andshown in the accompanying drawing is illustrative only and is notintended to limit the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A catheter placement unit comprising: a needle having an axial bore,-

a hub secured to one end of said needle,

a housing spaced a distance from said hub;

a rigid rod secured to said hub and said housing and serving to maintainsaid housing in alignment with said needle,

a plunger carried by and movable axially of said housing formed with abore extending therethrough and having means for releasably coupling acatheter tube to said plunger,

a catheter tube formed with an axial bore and having one end of saidcatheter tube coupled to said plunger and having the other end extendinginto the bore of said needle, and

an elongated rigid tube dimensioned to fit telescopically within thebore of said catheter tube, said rigid tube extending through the boreof said plunger and said catheter and having one end of said rigid tubesecured within said bore of said plunger.

2. A catheter placement unit comprising:

a hollow needle having a forward sharpened end and a female hub end;

a catheter tube, the distal end of which is normally disposed within thehollow of the needle and the proximal end of which extends to a positionremote from the needle hub;

a female'hub at the remote proximal end of the catheter tube; a rigidstiffener having a dull distal end, the stiffener being disposed withinand running coextensively along substantially the entire length of thecatheter tube;

plunger means disposed proximal of the female hub of the catheter tubeand coupled thereto for pushing said female hub and the associatedcatheter tube forward beyond the sharpened end of the needle;

guide means disposed around the female hub of the catheter tube andadjacent the plunger means and rod means anchoring the guide means tothe female hub of the needle, to maintain axial alignment of thestiffener and catheter tube with the needle both before and during saidpushing action.

3. The catheter placement unit of claim 2 wherein the guide meanscomprise a generally hollow cylindrical member in which the plungermeans is displaced and wherein the anchoring means comprise at least onesubstantially rigid connecting rod located eccentric of but generallyparallel to the catheter tube.

4. A catheter placement unit comprising:

a hollow rigid needle having a forward sharpened end comprising theexposed distal end of the unit for making a venipuncture and a femalehub end;

a flexible catheter tube the distal end of which is (a) slidablydisposed within the hollow of the needle at venipuncture and (b)extended beyond the needle following venipuncture and a proximal end ofwhich extends to a position remote from the needle hub;

a catheter female hub at the remote proximal end of the catheter tube;

a hollow rigid stiffener having a dull distal end spaced rearward of thedistal end of the flexible catheter tube, the stiffener otherwise beingdisposed within and running coextensively along substantially the entirelength of the flexible catheter tube to prevent shirring of the cathetertube by the sharp end of the needle during relative movement of the twoparts, the proximal end of the hollow stiffener propasses through thehollow of the stiffener into the light-transmitting flashback means forvisual observation and whereby axial displacement of the flashback meanscauses a corresponding displacement of the hollow stiffener whereby theflashback means and the stiffener may be jointly removed from thecatheter tube and the female catheter hub.

1. A catheter placement unit comprising: a needle having an axial bore,a hub secured to one end of said needle, a housing spaced a distancefrom said hub; a rigid rod secured to said hub and said housing andserving to maintain said housing in alignment with said needle, aplunger carried by and movable axially of said housing formed with abore extending therethrough and having means for releasably coupling acatheter tube to said plunger, a catheter tube formed with an axial boreand having one end of said catheter tube coupled to said plunger andhaving the other end extending into the bore of said needle, and anelongated rigid tube dimensioned to fit telescopically within the boreof said catheter tube, said rigid tube extending through the bore ofsaid plunger and said catheter and having one end of said rigid tubesecured within said bore of said plunger.
 2. A catheter placement unitcomprising: a hollow needle having a forward sharpened end and a femalehub end; a catheter tube, the distal end of which is normally disposedwithin the hollow of the needle and the proximal end of which extends toa position remote from the needle hub; a female hub at the remoteproximal end of the catheter tube; a rigid stiffener having a dulldistal end, the stiffener being disposed within and runningcoextensively along substantially the entire length of the cathetertube; plunger means disposed proximal of the female hub of the cathetertube and coupled thereto for pushing said female hub and the associatedcatheter tube forward beyond the sharpened end of the needle; guidemeans disposed around the female hub of the catheter tube and adjacentthe plunger means and rod means anchoring the guide means to the femalehub of the needle, to maintain axial alignment of the stiffener andcatheter tube with the needle both before and during said pushingaction.
 3. The catheter placement unit of claim 2 wherein the guidemeans comprise a generally hollow cylindrical member in which theplunger means is displaced and wherein the anchoring means comprise atleast one substantially rigid connecting rod located eccentric of butgenerally parallel to the catheter tube.
 4. A catheter placement unitcomprising: a hollow rigid needle having a forward sharpened endcomprising the exposed distal end of the unit for making a venipunctureand a female hub end; a flexible catheter tube the distal end of whichis (a) slidably disposed within the hollow of the needle at venipunctureand (b) extended beyond the needle following venipuncture and a proximalend of which extends to a position remote from the needle hub; acatheter female hub at the remote proximal end of the catheter tube; ahollow rigid stiffener having a dull distal end spaced rearward of thedistal end of the flexible catheter tube, the stiffener otherwise beingdisposed within and running coextensively along substantially the entirelength of the flexible catheter tube to prevent shirring of the cathetertube by the sharp end of the needle during relative movement of the twoparts, the proximal end of the hollow stiffener projecting beyond theproximal end of the flexible catheter tube whereby flashback atvenipuncture instantaneously passes through the hollow of the stiffener;light-transmitting flashback means disposed proximal of and in directconnected communication with the hollow interior at the proximal end ofthe stiffener and the proximal end of said female catheter hub wherebyat venipuncture blood instantaneously passes through the hollow of thestiffener into the light-transmitting flashback means for visualobservation and whereby axial displacement of the flashback means causesa corresponding displacement of the hollow stiffener whereby theflashback means and the stiffener may be jointly removed from thecatheter tube and the female catheter hub.